Another day during the NBA season, yet another reason to talk about how “unclutch” LeBron James is. After LeBron missed two free throws and he shot none of the Heat’s three field goal attempts in the final minute of the Heat’s 78-75 loss to the Pacers last night, we had a whole new opportunity to declare his poor performance in game-deciding situations. As always, ESPN commentators like John Buccigross could be counted on to join the fun.

Ah, yes, the ol’ “cherry-pick numbers to fit a narrative” tactic. I know this technique because I’ve been guilty of it myself in the past — most notably two months ago, when I showcased the vast difference between Kobe Bryant’s and LeBron James’ performance numbers over the past three seasons, in the regular season or playoffs, in the fourth quarter or overtime, with 0:05 or less remaining in the game. Unsurprisingly, that post generated a lot of discussion, but do cherry-picked stats with a small sample size really prove anything? Let’s see how the narrative can change when we move the goal posts to a few different locations.

Sticking with the past three seasons, I’ll start broad with these numbers and then narrow them down so they get “clutchier” at each level. Here are Kobe and LeBron’s numbers in the fourth quarter and overtime with a scoring margin of five points or fewer. Note: eFG% refers to “effective field goal percentage”, which adjusts for the fact that a three-pointer is worth more than a two-point field goal.

Well, that certainly gives a different view of these two superstars, doesn’t it? Let’s move the goal posts back so we’re looking at their numbers in the fourth quarter and overtime, five minutes or less left in the quarter, with a scoring margin of five points or fewer.

Hmmm… we’re still not getting the right numbers to fit our narrative. Now we’ll move into “super-clutch” territory and look at just the last minute in fourth quarter or OT, and strictly shots that could tie or take the lead.

Getting warmer! And notice how LeBron has only taken six shots in those situations this season? He’s scared! The critics have obviously shaken his confidence! Let’s hammer the point home with these “super-duper-uber-ultimate-clutch” numbers I previously measured in early March, and let’s blow this mother up to a 16-point font for emphasis! (Note: I can’t explain the minor discrepancy with Kobe’s three-point numbers now compared to March. Take it up with the shot finder.)

Bingo! There’s your money shot, folks! Put a bow on that chart and overnight it to Skip Bayless!

So what do any of these numbers really prove? Is LeBron’s clutch ability underrated because he’s actually compared favorably to Kobe in late(r)-game situations over the past three seasons? Or do you only measure clutch performance by what a player does with the final shot of the game, when the outcome is on the line? To many, this latter measurement is the only one that matters — ridiculously small sample sizes, be damned.

What does clutch mean to you? It means whatever you want it to mean, depending on the numbers you select to fit your chosen narrative. What does clutch mean to me? I don’t really believe in it, to be honest — but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to warming my hands over the flames of this never-ending war.

The immediate consensus is that the punishment falls short of expectations, especially considering that Yadier Molina was suspended for five games because of this:

There’s not as much helmet throwing, but a whole lot more saliva being tossed during Molina’s tantrum, so judge as you will. Frankly, I’m a little tired of the entire subject.

For more on the suspension, check out DJF.

You know UFC president Dana White is a fan of The Korean Zombie (Photo courtesy MMAgearguide.net)

After every night of fights, the question every MMA fan always asks is: “Who should so-and-so fight next?”

Well, look no further for your answer, as here’s the post-UFC on FUEL 3 edition of Fight Fixin.’

CHAN SUNG JUNG

With an epic performance over the highly-regarded Dustin Poirier, “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung proved why he’s one of the very best 145-pounders in the world. And by becoming the first man to ever finish the durable Poirier, Jung demonstrated exactly why UFC president Dana White said he’s next in line for a title shot at the winner of UFC 149′s main event between UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo and challenger Erik Koch.

I agree with White, and believe Jung should wait it out and fight the winner of Aldo vs. Koch when the UFC brings its next show to Asia, the rumored event in Shanghai, China, this coming November.

Let’s face it, there just aren’t many contenders for Aldo right now. While Koch could pull off the upset, it’s just not that likely at this time. Unlike Poirier and Hatsu Hioki, Jung wants a shot at the title, and with the show he’s put on in his three UFC fights — becoming the first man to pull off a twister inside the Octagon, knocking out Mark Hominick in seven seconds, and choking out Poirier with his own favourite move — he definitely deserves it. And I think that, after last night especially and with apologies to Koch, Hominick, Chad Mendes, and Kenny Florian, there’s finally a featherweight title fight with Aldo that the fans are actually dying to see.

AMIR SADOLLAH

While Amir Sadollah took home a split decision last night over Jorge Lopez, he certainly wasn’t impressive in doing so. The fight wasn’t entertaining at all, and even Sadollah’s hometown fans booed the decision. That’s never a good sign.

Because the victory wasn’t impressive in any way, Sadollah should get someone low on the food chain. I’m thinking a matchup with James Head, who defeated Papy Abedi last month in Sweden.

Both guys are kind of hovering around the middle of the UFC’s welterweight division, and both have been inconsistent inside the Octagon, so I think this fight makes sense.

DONALD CERRONE

Donald Cerrone looked tremendous last night in dispatching of the rugged Jeremy Stephens. Cerrone won every round pretty decisively and he sure looked like the guy that was running through the UFC lightweight division before running into Nate Diaz at UFC 141.

At 5-1 inside the Octagon, Cerrone is still a top contender in the UFC. But because of his exciting, kickboxing style, the UFC would be smart to keep matching him up with guys who like to bang.

I’m thinking a matchup with Edson Barboza, should he get by Jamie Varner at UFC 146, makes sense. Barboza is a wicked striker and, should he defeat Varner, would be 5-0 inside the Octagon himself, so he’ll definitely deserve a step up in competition. Since both Cerrone and Barboza are hovering around the top 10 of the division, this seems like the right fight to make, and the fans would definitely be the beneficiaries if it were to take place.

One thing is for sure — both guys will bring the heat. I’m salivating just thinking about how epic this contest would be.

YVES JABOUIN

Another win at bantamweight for Yves Jabouin, who is now 3-0 while fighting at 135 pounds. That’s a quiet 3-0, considering the first two wins were split decisions, but last night against Jeff Hougland the Canadian showed just how dangerous a striker he really is.

On such a nice run in a shallow division, Jabouin deserves a step up, but the division is in a holding pattern right now why Urijah Faber awaits an opponent for his UFC interim bantamweight title fight.

I say match up Jabouin with Mike Easton, who he was originally set to fight before injuries brought Hougland in. That’d be a great fight between two guys who love to stay on the feet, which is why it was created in the first place. Don’t be surprised if it’s re-booked.

IGOR POKRAJAC

Igor Pokrajac and Fabio Maldonado went to war last night, and whether you agreed with the judges or not, you have to admit this was ‘Fight of the Night’ up until the main event took place.

And while the fight could have easily been a draw, Pokrajac did get the nod, and now has three wins in a row and four in his last five. And though Pokrajac has said in the past he would like to fight a former UFC champion, there aren’t any available at the moment for him.

One guy who isn’t booked, though, is Stanislav Nedkov. Yes, he’s only had one fight in the UFC so far due to visa issues, but this guy is undefeated in his MMA career and a fight pitting the Croatian Pokrajac against the Bulgarian Nedkov, two guys who love to bang, would be fireworks. I hope it happens.

TOM LAWLOR

A career-best performance by Tom Lawlor saw the American knockout Canadian Jason MacDonald in the first minute of their middleweight tilt. And while MacDonald is on the last fumes of his career, it was still a great outing by Lawlor, who badly needed a win to save his fledgeling UFC career.

For an encore, I say match up Lawlor with Brad Tavares, who beat Dongi Yang on the undercard. Both guys are hovering in the middle of the pack at 185 pounds in the UFC, so it’s a fight that makes sense, especially when considering the linear timing.

The Giants unveiled their Super Bowl ring today and the results are blindingly beautiful. If a regular person were to wear this ring on the streets of any major metropolitan city I would put the over/under on them getting murdered/seriously wounded at five minutes.

The four Lombardi trophies on the ring represent the Giants four Superbowl titles – surprise! The words ‘Finish’ and ‘All in’ are engraved on the insides . These were the inspirational phrases used by the Giants during their title run. Also included  is the final score of Super Bowl XLVI, 21-17

It’s unclear how many blood diamonds were used to create these rings – I’m guessing the number is quite high based on the soulless manufacturer who created them – Tiffany & Co.

In all seriousness they’re nice, but are they wearable? Tell us Eli:

“I kind of wear it on special occasions up to the start of the season, then I put it away,” Manning told CNN on Wednesday. “It’s a big ring. It’s almost hard to wear.”

Don’t underestimate ring fatigue. It’s the third leading cause of failed marriages in North America.

Disclaimer: Tiffany’s is a wonderfully ethical company. Buy from them today! Please..

It’s one thing to be an NHLer and get “Kronwall’d,” and quite another to be a 24 year-Latvian who’s never played the guy and get hit like this. I’m not sure why entirely, I just feel like you’d be a little more surprised. At least when NHLers are in a crumpled heap on the ice they can piece together that the number of the train that just hit them was 55 (as opposed to 7 at the Worlds). Saulietis may have thought the building got bombed or something.

International tournaments don’t see a lot of this stuff either, so it had to be even more shocking.

What amazes me about this hit is how quickly Kronwall transitions from looking like he’s skating backwards to making contact. I guess technically he is still skating backwards, only now for the forwards, he’s skating backwards at them. Seriously, watch that cut though, that’s some great skating.

Make of it what you will, clean, dirty or otherwise. Either way, this was one massive collision:

If I’m a right-winger and we’re playing a team he’s on that night, I’m making a stop into the office in the morning. “Um, coach – I think I’d like to try the off-wing tonight.”

Never one to shirk hyperbole, Goal.com dropped a HASHTAG NEWSBOMB that exploded all over Twitter with the force of a…bomb. Roberto Martinez, former-Villa manager(ial favourite for about ten seconds) and current Wigan manager has been approached ‘through a third party‘ (a mandrill?) to see if he’d be interested in the Liverpool FC job.

Fenway Sports Group (FSG), the Reds’ American owners, made contact with Wigan boss Martinez last week through third parties and sources have described the Spaniard as the hot favourite to take over at Anfield after Dalglish was sacked on Wednesday.

This is a moment where I can make what I hope will be an interesting point about the football. Here goes.

By coincidence, today Zonal Marking’s Michael Cox wrote an intriguing post on Martinez’s transition to a 3-4-3 at Wigan, and how it transformed the club’s fortunes in the latter half of the season. What’s clear in reading Cox’s analysis is how essential having the right players in the right positions was in supporting his vision. For example, Cox quotes Martinez explaining the shift in his own words:

“It suits our players. When you’ve got a Jean Beausejour who is a specialist in that position, you take advantage of that. The back three gives you that. Then there’s the energy we’ve got in midfield, players who can play between lines like Shaun Maloney and Jordi Gomez.”

Italics mine. The tactical shift, enabled in part by the pick up of Beausejour in the January transfer window, allowed Wigan to pick up, as Cox notes, “27 points in 14 games.” The problem is before that, Wigan earned “16 points from 24 games.”

In other words, it took time and a half season of futility before Martinez could get the personnel in order to realize his ideal formational approach and allow Wigan to play above their ability and beat teams like Manchester United and Arsenal (and, in the process, effectively help Manchester City to their first title in 44 years).

Everything about Liverpool FC at the moment screams of a club in need of someone who can help these players play at and above their current collective ability, particularly, as Swiss Ramble pointed out a week ago, the club is still rebuilding after the disastrous Hicks and Gillett ownership period. Martinez is a very good manager, at the right club with the right personnel. Is LFC a fit? Perhaps, but if this story is to be believed (asterisk asterisk asterisk) the owners haven’t exactly signaled they’re taking their time making a careful decision in finding the best possible manager based on players, staff, etc. Will Liverpool have patience while Martinez rebuilds according to his tactical ideal?

I’ve been getting word today via my mysterious source (the tentacles of LFC reach far-and-wide) that some within the club believe that Henry and FSG do not in fact know what they’re doing, and that LFC is a “shambles” at the moment. Running around like chickens sans heads in finding a replacement for Dalglish should give Liverpool fans pause. Martinez is a very good manager, but appointing him shotgun wedding styles simply because of a successful-but-painfully-slow transition at Wigan doesn’t strike me as particularly good planning.

lucky son of a...

Forbes magazine published an article today on WWE Superstar The Rock being part of this years Forbes 100 celebrity list for the first time. The magazine estimates that Dwayne Johnson made upwards of 36 million dollars and his movies grossed 2.3 billion dollars world wide last year.

Here’s what The Rock had to say in the article.

“That’s the wonderful part about being in this business. I love knowing the audience and listening to the audience. Oh, and kicking a little ass, too… It reached a point where I felt that ­instead of me trying to conform to Hollywood, I needed to have ­Hollywood conform to me and ­embrace my past.”

There’s also a great video interview Forbes did with The Rock. Have a watch!

There is no doubt that The Rock is a massive draw and I think it’s safe to say that the WWE Universe is a big part in that. The connection to his success in the ring and into films is very interesting. He also seems like a great guy on set who directors and producers want to work with.

It’s a wrap & headin’ to the plane. Just put the final touch on GI JOE – one helluva film. Love to my LA crew. Miami bound..

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) May 13, 2012

Sounds like Superstar who appreciates hard work at all levels. He’s handles his career very well and the futute can only get brighter for the brahma bull.

Check out the entire article by clicking here.

(partial source via. PWTorch.com)

“I know he wears a lot of weird (expletive),” Bryant said. “It’s a generational thing.” — Kobe Bryant, who has never worn anything weird, not even once

While we’re quick to praise the “masterminds” behind the active defenses of today, putting defenders where baseballs are most likely to be hit isn’t exactly rocket surgery. It’s common sense. In fact, it seems odd that batters from both sides of the plate didn’t have such defensive strategies foisted upon them more frequently than has been the case prior to this season.

But before the Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers began implementing more shifts than the manager of a busy 7-11, teams would commonly move their infielders to the right for power hitting lefties, like Barry Bonds, Adam Dunn, Jason Giambi, Travis Hafner, Ryan Howard, David Ortiz and even Mo Vaughan.

While it was most likely observations that spawned more active defenses for these players back in the day, analytics have been credited with the current resolve to lower BABIP as much as possible around the league.

Note: We can’t say that there’s a definite causation between increased use of extreme defenses and a low BABIP, but we can point out that batting average for balls in play is currently at a twenty year low.

As with baseball, in fact, as with most strategies in general, drastic changes eventually elicit a correction that will eventually be introduced as a means of counteracting what at first appears to be a dominant strategy. This fact was never made more real for me than during a grade five chess tournament in which I rode my knowledge of Scholar’s Mate to the quarterfinals. It was there that I met someone wise enough to bring their Queen out early enough to take advantage of my foolish mode of attack.

After David Ortiz’s recent bunt down the unoccupied third base line to get on base against the Seattle Mariners, Tom Tango calculated how many such singles it would take for a good hitter to recreate his production:

The question is how often can a hitter bunt to make it more effective for him to produce runs, than to work the count and/or swing away.  We know that Ortiz has a career wOBA of close to .400 when he doesn’t bunt, which is where you will find great hitters.

With the bases empty, the wOBA equation gives a weight of almost 0.9 for a single with 0 outs and under 0.8 with 2 outs.  So, in order to get a .400 wOBA (and breakeven for a great hitter), a batter would need to successfully lay one down about 45% of the time with 0 outs, and 50% of the time with 2 outs.

Assuming that a good hitter is able to lay down a bunt on 80% of the strikes he sees and 30% of the balls he sees, it turns out that a 45%/50% success rate bunting with the shift on would be something of a modest ambition. A good hitter would be more likely to find a 60% success rate, and raise his wOBA to a Barry Bondsian level by simply bunting for singles.

This calculation comes to the conclusion that a good batter should look for a bunt single every single time he comes to the plate against a shifted defense.

While certainly not as gratifying as a home run, it’s normally a notable thing among fans when a batter with a reputation for hitting for power gets on base with a bunt. However, if bunt single attempts were employed more frequently, shifted defenses might move toward being seen as something of a less definite intentional walk.

But would batters like Ortiz give up the glory of well hit balls for the security of getting on base?

All of this theorizing about combating the shift caused me to take a look at Big Papi’s spray chart over the last few years.

Here it is for 2010:

And here it is in eerily similarity for 2011:

And now, 2012:

It looks as though there are a few more hits to left field than might be expected from Ortiz, given his previous spray charts, but we’re still only six weeks or so into the season. We probably can’t get too excited and start claiming that Ortiz is concentrating on avoiding outs rather mashing for power (which he’s still doing quite exclusively by pulling the ball).

But then, let’s take a look at Big Papi’s hitting since the beginning of the month in games against Oakland, Baltimore, Kansas City, Cleveland and Seattle:

We see the typical number of outs on the right side of the infield, but we also see a larger percentage of balls being put into play on the left side of the field. Almost half of the base hits he’s gotten on the left side of the field so far this season have fallen in during the last two weeks, while hitting a single fly ball out to right field.

Again, it’s not a large enough sample to draw a definite conclusion from, and I don’t know how many of these hits to the left came against a shift, but considering his bunt hit against Seattle, we at least know that Ortiz is aware that a change in approach might be necessary to combat the shift.

It falls under: in need of further observation.

If Ortiz is happily giving up moments in which he’d normally swing for the fences in order to successfully avoid outs through hits on the left side, we again have to ask ourselves what type of trade off of hits for home runs would actually increase offensive production. However, there’s been no drop off in power from Ortiz so far. In fact, he’s currently posting his highest ISO in five years, and is on pace to hit more home runs than last year.

Speaking of pace, if he can hold his current batting efficiency up, Ortiz will collect more base hits this season than any other year in his career, all while maintaining a well above average walk rate and his typically below average strike out rate.

It’s all rather remarkable that so far, for all the hype being given to effectiveness of the shift this year, David Ortiz, a player for whom the little piece of defensive strategy is most often used against, is adjusting absolutely fine to its implementation.

Spray charts via TexasLeaguers.com.

“I don’t really mind it. I don’t think about matchups or anything like that. My job is to be the best Phil Davis. I don’t care who Dana White and Joe Silva puts in front of me. I’m just going to go and do my job the way I know how.”

- Phil Davis to Mauro Ranallo on The MMA Show

Photo courtesy MMAjunkie.com

Also appearing on today’s MMA Show Podcast:

• Daniel Cormier, Strikeforce heavyweight

CLICK HERE to download the full podcast

Subscribe To The MMA Show Podcast via iTunes (free of charge)

After I chose to commemorate the Bills epic 1993 playoff comeback it only felt right to feature an event I can’t forget for all the wrong reasons.

I watched this game in the basement of a friend’s house on a 15 inch TV. I cried for three hours afterwards. In the days leading up to the wild card game between the Bills and Titans – formerly the Oilers, the team Buffalo stunned back in 93 – the buzz surrounded Phillips controversial decision to bench fan favorite Doug Flutie in favor of Rob Johnson.

Some Bits and Bites:

• To this day I refuse to believe that wasn’t a forward pass. Though the NFL’s video review system had been implemented that season, it was reasonable to expect some mistakes.
• That said, I assume the prospect of overturning one of the craziest plays in NFL history scared the crap out of referee Phil Luckett.
• In 2007 the NFL Network brought in a computer analyst to see if the pass did indeed travel forward. The analyst – obviously a Titans fan – stated Luckett made the right call.
• Never before had a team entering the playoffs benched its healthy starter in favor of the backup. Wade Phillips – a true visionary.
• Johnson did lead the Bills down the field for the go ahead field goal with 16 seconds remaining. I wonder how his career – along with many others – would’ve altered if the Bills had won that game.
• The Bills haven’t played in a playoff game since.
• The Titans would make it to the Super Bowl that year but fell one yard short of the championship. The Wide Receiver who came so agonizingly close to victory? Music City Miracle hero Kevin Dyson.
• Kicker Al Del Greco was the lone member of the Titans who played in the 1993 comeback game as an Oiler.
• Doug Flutie was relegated to backup duty the next season. Due to various injuries suffered by Rob ‘Tin Man’ Johnson, Flutie started in five games going 4 -1. Johnson was 4-7. Wade Phillips would be fired after the season.
• I vaguely remembered Wide Right, but this was my initiation into the club of miserable Bills fans.

We’re starting to distance ourselves a bit too much from the second round, so here’s the final best-of video: the 10 best hits from the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

"This ought to get Henry Winter off my back for a while..."

Well, as we’re in the dead zone between the end of the season and the Champions League final (here’s Jonathan Wilson’s intriguing match preview for SI, by the way), I now have to time to mull over those meta issues that surround the sport of football, including who am I, and what am I doing here?

And so on to a Tweet that stuck out among the many thousands I half read a day in trying to come up with ‘stuff’ to put on this ‘website’:

This RT: @thegrumpyowl: I don’t want to see an ump making calls in Yankee Stadium thinking he has to talk to the NY Post after the game.

— Drew F (@DrewGROF) May 16, 2012

This is of course, a ‘based-ball’ Tweet. But their sport, like our sport, has a long running love affair with the very human vulnerability of the men in black who have the final say on whether it’s a penalty or a dive, an out or a safe. In this case, this brought to mind a conversation I’ve either participated in or overheard countless times in my years being both alive and into the soccer. It usually follows an incredibly poor call from an official, and almost always features something similar to this sentence:

“While I’m not in favour of [INSERT OFFICIATING TECHNOLOGICAL THINGAMAJIG HERE], I do think referees should explain their decisions to the public after the fact.”

Beyond the simple reality that an ostensibly accountable referee is no less fallible than the normal kind, it’s a bad idea. For, if we adapt the above Tweet for a Premier League-guzzling audience, “I don’t want to see a ref making calls at Old Trafford thinking he has to talk to the Daily Mail after the game.” As if the awful pressure of dealing with the combined scorn of drooling, partisan morons and club players and staff, we want to haul Howard Webb into a press conference to explain his field of vision to Martin Samuel?

Spare us o Lord.

I think at this point, having been through the referees-are-terrible discussion more times than I’d care to remember, that we’re going to have some sort of chip-in-ball thing, and that’s about as good as it’s ever going to get. Other than that, c’est la vie.

The WWE may not be having a draft this year, but that doesn’t mean everyone has completely forgotten about it.

Corey Erdman and Norm Sousa are back for another episode of the Aftermath Daily Dose and for today’s episode, we have our special Mock WWE Draft. Join Corey and Norm as they go through their top picks for their respective shows.

Let us know in the comments section who made the right picks and whether you would draft a superstar that Corey and Norm didn’t.

There is only one place to find the Mock WWE Draft and that is the Aftermath Daily Dose.

Click here to listen to the Aftermath Daily Dose.

As a refresher, here are the picks made by Corey and Norm.

Corey: John Cena, CM Punk, Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio, The Miz and Kharma.

Norm: Randy Orton, Daniel Bryan, Cody Rhodes, Dolph Ziggler, Kofi Kingston and Beth Phoenix.

When all is said and done, I’ll always remember Vinny Del Negro as the terrible-haired coach of some mediocre Chicago Bulls teams that probably should have been better than .500. But that’s because I’m a Bulls fan. For all you other peeps, it’s quite likely VDN will always be a San Antonio Spur in your mind. He spent six seasons with the Spurs as a sometimes starter, making you laugh every time you opened a pack a cards and saw his last name.

But we’re not the only ones who closely associate Del Negro with the Spurs, despite the fact he’s been tied to eight other franchises. As it turns out, even the Spurs still consider him a Spur, just maybe not in the way he wants to be remembered. From ESPN:

“Some of the stuff we do on defense, we actually have one thing we call on the pin downs, we say we’re going to ‘Del Negro it’ and that’s in his honor and we’ve done that for 15 years,” Popovich said. “We have a Del Negro defense out there because he couldn’t play a lick of D. At times we had to invent something just to hide him, so we call it ‘Del Negro’ and you do certain things on the court and everybody has to make up for that guy who’s the ‘Del Negro.’”

Classic Popovich, am I right? Always with the sly jokes that you don’t really ever expect. Word to Thumbs Up Gregg.

Of course, as there is with any Popovich joke, there’s definitely a kernel of honesty in this zinger. Even though Vinny Del Negro hasn’t played basketball for him since 1998, there is probably still a huge part of Gregg Popovich that is super frustrated that Del Negro didn’t play any defense back in the day. I’m sure if you asked and he wasn’t feeling particularly vengeful, Gregg Popovich could easily recall a few specific possessions where VDN didn’t fight through a screen properly or failed to rotate quick enough during some meaningless March game that still drives Pop crazy. Why else would he keep “Del Negro it” around as a phrase for needing to cover for a teammate on defense?

Lucky for Vinny, by the time he’s done with his coaching career, “Del Negro it” will have a totally different meaning. I’m not sure if the term will be redefined as fighting upper management about whether or not a player should be playing, totally messing up your team’s timeout situation or waiting too long to make substitutions, but there are more than a few options.

In a futile attempt to stem the tide of hatred coursing through this particular branch of the internet, it is important we, the hardcore baseball nerd, remember what makes the game interesting beyond entrenched partisan bickering: great players doing great things.

Mike Trout hit a really sweet home run last night. The kind of home run that makes scouts drool and fanbases dream about a bright, bright future – to say nothing of the present.

I worry I’m growing obsessed with home runs. Not just the home runs in general, the great spectacle that they are. The ways in which players hit them fascinates me forever. Watching hitters take good pitches and hit them out of the park makes me shake my head in amazement.

Last night in Anaheim, Mike Trout hit his third home run of the year. The pitch from Bartolo Colon was not a good one, it was a 90 mph fastball above the belt. The pitch was on the inner half of the plate, not a bad pitch to pull for power.

But Mike Trout did not pull this pitch. Mike Trout kept his hands inside the ball and drove it over the fence to the right-field side of straight away center. He hit it a long way with a textbook swing.

Not a lot of major league hitters can “inside out” a pitch up in the zone out to center field. Do you know who does that? Derek Jeter. By no means am I comparing Mike Trout to Derek Jeter but the short follow-through and way that Trout rode this pitch out to other side of center field, that is who I thought of first.

That Mike Trout was able to take this pitch and hit it to that place is very, very impressive. Using ESPN Stats & Info’s Heat Maps, we can see compare how the rest of the league fares with pitches up in the zone hit to center field.

Courtesy of ESPN Stats & Info

To contrast Trout’s ability to drive out that pitch up in the zone, consider a home run from earlier this year. Trout’s first tater tot of the year, a shot to left center off Kyle Drabek of the Blue Jays came off a pitch thrown well down-and-in, a 93 mph fastball that Drabke placed pretty much right where catcher J.P. Arencibia called for it, unlike the Colon offering that missed so badly.

Maybe I make too much of these displays of power, the ability to hit pitcher’s pitches a long way that I believe separates the mistake crushers from the elite hitters. Perhaps I put too much stock in these displays of incidental skill, assigning more value and believing in how this ability will translate in the future. With Trout (and Bryce Harper earlier this week), suggesting he has the skills to be one of the best players in the league isn’t exactly a stretch, Mike Trout is one of the top prospects in baseball for a reason.

Tools, makeup, all the scouting buzzwords don’t mean much until a player puts it together on the field. I can’t think of a better example of “putting it together on the field” than hitting home runs that immediately bring the name of a 3000 hit sure-fire Hall of Famer to mind.

How does this keep happening?

Normally, this would be “The Monday After” but FUEL TV cards are landing on some pretty random days. I’m pretty sure UFC on FUEL 4 is going down on a Wednesday night so we will return to normal slightly.

For a card that really didn’t have much buzz, there were a lot of solid fights. Some impressive performances mixed in with some upsets made the night very enjoyable.

Without any more time wasted, here are a few observations coming from the UFC on FUEL 3.

Chan Sung Jung solidifies his spot in the title picture

Despite holding a 2-0 record inside the octagon, I was not 100 per cent sold on him as a legitimate contender. I always looked at his six second knockout of Mark Hominick at UFC 140 as too quick of a fight to get a real grasp of his game. The twister submission of Leonard Garcia was cool, but it is the ground game of Garcia we are talking about here.

All of my disbeliefs left after his performance against Dustin Poirier last night. Jung was able to take control of Poirier on the feet as well as on the mat. Jung’s ground and pound was strong and his transitions were some of the best ground work of his career. If there was one thing that wasn’t perfect about Jung’s performance, it was that his cardio is still an issue.

Many believe that Jung should get the next shot at the winner of Jose Aldo/Erik Koch and I have no problem with that. That is a long layoff though and a fight against the winner of Ricardo Lamas/Hatsu Hioki could happen before any title fights.

One thing is certain, “The Korean Zombie” is definitely over with the crowd and is becoming the next big draw in the featherweight division.

Donald Cerrone back in contention

Despite a 4-1 run during 2011, Donald Cerrone had become the forgotten man in the UFC lightweight division. After his destruction of Jeremy Stephens last night, Cerrone is now 5-1 inside the octagon and has now won seven of his past eight dating back to his WEC days.

While it may have been an upset at the time that Diaz defeated Cerrone, we have now seen Diaz repeat that performance so we can’t discredit Cerrone too much. Cerrone was the first opponent at lightweight to go the distance with Diaz since Gray Maynard did back in 2010.

Cerrone said during his post fight interview that he would like to get on the UFC 150 card in Denver, Colorado. Cerrone also stated that he wouldn’t mind facing fellow WEC alumni Anthony Pettis. I say sign me up. Surprisingly, these guys never faced off in the WEC and both are in need of a signature win to solidify themselves as the next contender for the belt.

Yes, Cody McKenzie got another guillotine choke

When a guy openly says that his guillotine choke is his bread and butter, you would think opponents would do everything possible to not get into a position where a guillotine choke is possible. I guess Marcus LeVesseur missed that memo. Despite rocking McKenzie on the feet, LeVesseur dove right into McKenzie’s guard and just left his neck exposed. McKenzie began adjusting his grip and the choke was sunk in shortly after.

For those of you not counting, McKenzie now has 13 career wins with 11 of those coming by way of guillotine choke. It’s amazing that he keeps doing it and every time a fighter says they have prepared for it, they become a victim. The master of the guillotine choke definitely adds some extra intrigue to all of his fights.

The Giants are the undisputed kings of New York. Superbowl champions- again, their star quarterback hosted SNL, Osi Umenyiora is antagonizing rival teams‘ via twitter – they’re doing it all.

Not long ago the Jets were the media darlings of New York. There was Hard Knocks – Rex Ryan swears incredibly often, Antonio Cromartie doesn’t the names of his children, Mark Sanchez doesn’t know what a binder is!

In a sad attempt to win back the spotlight, the Jets – or that other team from New York as they’re now known – have been on a PR blitz during the off-season. Darelle Revis called Bill Belichick a jerk on ESPN and in their most egregious attention seeking act, they traded for Tim Tebow.

It can be argued that the distractions caused by their lust for attention was a major factor in the Jets abysmal 8-8 season last year. Players noted Head Coach Rex Ryan had taken a hands off approach to coaching. Santonio Holmes’ constant griping took a visible toll on Mark Sanchez. Guard Brandon Moore noted the presence of divisions in the locker room – the team was a mess.

The Jets needed a disciplinarian. According to Tight End Dustin Keller, they’ve found one in new offensive coordinator Tony Sparano.

The Star-Ledger’s Jenny Vrentas:

“When Sparano is in there talking, all eyes are on him,” Keller said. “It’s a change. Before, I would say it was a little more laid-back. But with him it’s more stern, and he just has everybody’s attention, and I think guys are paying more attention to details now more than ever.” Keller added: “Most all the guys have been very accountable to themselves, to the things they’re doing, but I think this year more than ever. Everything from the details of how far you need to line up and everything, guys already have that stuff down, and if you don’t, he’s kind of coming down on you. And that’s how it’s going to be all season, you can already tell.”

Things could change when September rolls around – it is only May – but it’s a positive beginning for a team that needs a kick in the ass.

And now you want to know the rest of the story…

• Carson Palmer believes former teammate Terrell Owens’ work ethic is a good influence for his Raiders Wide Receivers. Owens worked out with Palmer & several Raiders WR’s in late March. [CSN Bay Area]
• Ricky Williams doesn’t believe there is a link between playing football and concussions and states ‘mind over matter’ is the best way to deal with head injuries. Interesting…[Shutdown Corner]
• Vince Young knows he’s in Buffalo to be the backup and supports Ryan Fitzpatrick 100%. [Buffalo News]
• Joe Vitt equates Sean Payton to coaching legends Chuck Knoll, Tom Landry and Bill Walsh. Hyperbole is the name of a river down in Louisana. [NOLA.com]
• Colt McCoy is working hard to keep his Starting Quarterback job. I don’t like his chances. [NFL.com]
• Howard Eskin of NBC 10 doesn’t believe Jason Peters tore his Achilles for a second time this off-season by falling out of a motorized scooter. What is more embarrassing than that? [PFT]
• Some scumbag robbed Junior Seau’s home last monday. [North County Times]
• Giants punter Steve Weatherford tweeted a picture of the Giants’ Super Bowl ring. [NFL.com]

Those who’ve become familiar with my work (and Twitter feed) know I’m an animal guy. Right now my wife and I happen to have cats (as those who used to read jtbourne.com know all too well – here’s Tyson and Jiggsy, by the way), and we’ve taken enough pictures of them that our families should be reasonably concerned about us.

Anyway, my current cat obsession has led me to saying this: vote for Scott Hartnell to be on the cover of EA’s NHL 13, because he made the video below. Just move past the semi-douchey move that is wearing an NHL All-Star Game t-shirt (just as a little reminder for everyone, of course), and do it. I love this guy.

That black cat is petrified, and hilarious looking. That he or she had to suffer through that traumatic video should be incentive enough for you to give Hartnell your vote. Don’t let that cat’s suffering be for naught.

In lieu of anything else interesting going on save the obvious below, here is Higuain pretending to hit his head on a glass door in a Kuwaiti airport.

Big Show and Don Draper only have one thing in common.

In one of the most awkward moments on RAW in recent memory, John Laurinatis fired the Big Show in the ring after his match* with Kane.

* If you call that a match.

If you missed the long drawn out dramatics or have a mental defect where watching train wrecks is somehow entertaining to you, check out the clip…

What a sad state of affairs. I will say that the entire situation and reasoning behind Show’s departure is probably one of the stupidest things I’ve ever seen. Aside from that, for someone 7 feet tall, 450 pounds to weep like a child in front of millions of people is truly an embarrassment. Get a grip Big Show! You’re a monster! Do you really think anyone is going to stop you from showing up at RAW every week? If Johnny says you’re fired just throw a couple of head-butts around and chokeslam that dweeb!

It wasn’t that long ago that Show turned on the water works after losing the World Title to Daniel Bryan in 45 seconds and continued to act like a defenceless school girl after running into A.J. I understand that you’re heart is as big as you are Big Show but you still have to remember that you can pretty much crush anyones head like a grape. If you had any cojones you would have stood your ground and laid out Johnny Ace with a WMD.

The whole segment was way too dramatic for such a small, insignificant occurrence.

Stop crying! Be a man! Until then, you’re the Dud of the Week!

Out of all the good stuff in Chris Ballard’s really great piece about getting to know Tim Duncan, this is BY FAR my favorite part. From Sports Illustrated:

O.K., it’s a toss-up as to how this will make you feel about Duncan: Did he once invite a bunch of teammates to a paintball course even though most had never played paintball? Perhaps. Did Duncan then stack his team with ringers and bring his own high-powered paintball gun? Maybe. Did he give certain players such as Danny Ferry guns that, according to Ferry, “were bent and shot six feet to the left every time”? There’s a chance. And did Duncan then take great delight in hunting down his teammates, chasing the pale, balding, shorts-wearing Ferry until he was in close range, at which point Duncan unleashed a hail of water-soluble hellfire upon the man? It’s possible.

Just in case you guys ever get the chance to play paintball with Tim Duncan, just remember to a) practice beforehand b) wear something somewhat more protective than shorts and c) bring your own gun. Otherwise, you’re ending up with several welts on your behind, courtesy of Tim Duncan and his shady tactics.

Oh, and don’t play paintball with Stephen Jackson either, but you already knew that. He’s way too good.

Getting Blanked? More like Getting Fired Up! (Or something.) Today we talk about the Brett Lawrie thing and the David Wright thing and the Stephen Strasburg hot balls thing. Then we talk about how RBIs are not really the thing any more.

If you aren’t into video, below is an audio-only version of the show and an MP3 link. You can also subscribe to The Getting Blanked Podcast on iTunes, to have the podcast, live stream MP3s and other life-changing materials delivered straight to your computer each week via the RSS feed here.

Daniel Cormier (Photo courtesy Sherdog)

The MMA Show Podcast with Mauro Ranallo is back at it again with the latest and greatest in the world of mixed martial arts.

Today Ranallo will be joined by Daniel Cormier, who will talk about his big fight with Josh Barnett this weekend.

And Phil Davis will stop by to talk about his upcoming bout against Chad Griggs.

Click Here to WATCH LIVE The MMA Show Vodcast at 2 – 2:30 pm EST

Click Here to LISTEN LIVE to The MMA Show Podcast at 2 – 3 pm EST

Click Here to download any previous episodes of The MMA Show Podcast with Mauro Ranallo

The summer doldrums are usually good for two things.

1) A mess of speculation regarding depth charts, quarterback competitions and NFL players and their troubles with the law – it’s an eclectic mix.

2) An elite group of players are looking to capitalize on their recent success with new contracts.

The latter is infinitely more interesting to yours truly. We get to see how franchises – both successful and terrible – value their best players. Miami gave DE Cameron Wake a four year contract extension with $20 million guaranteed. Conversely, Wes Welker signed his franchise tender this afternoon and will have to wait for his long term contract for at least one more season.

When Maurice Jones-Drew skipped the Jaguars first voluntary off-season training activities it raised eyebrows. A notoriously hard worker and team leader, Jones-Drew would help new head coach Mike Mularkey install a new culture in Jacksonville. Mularkey claimed he didn’t know why MJD was absent. He does now.

PFT’s Josh Alper:

As has been widely reported but unconfirmed by either party to this point, Jones-Drew is staying away from the Jaguars because he wants a new contract from the team. The NFL’s leading rusher in 2011 has two years left on his contract and is set to make a total of $9.4 million.“It’s all voluntary. I wish he was here. He knows we wish he was here,” Mularkey said, via Tania Ganguli of the Florida Times-Union. “He’s talked about trying to get an extension for his contract.”

New Jaguars owner Shahid Khan would do well to avoid a holdout with the teams most recognizable face and best player. Khan’s goal of developing the team into a global brand – a ridiculously tough task in it’s own right – is not possible without Jones-Drew.

But is it a worthwhile investment to give a 26 year-old running back a multi-year contract extension?

The chart above, taken from our friends at pro-football reference, measures the productivity of running backs as they age. Out of the 57 running backs who met the base requirements at age 26, 54% improved their stats in their age 27 season. That percentage declines as age increases. In their age 29 season, only 38% of running backs improved on their performance in the prior year.

Maurice Jones-Drew’s current value to the Jags is undeniable. However, it may not be in Jacksonville’s best interests to reward the running back with an extension. For PR purposes alone it’s hard to envision Khan not agreeing to some sort of contract extension with MJD. Football wise, the move may set a rebuilding franchise further adrift.